Fabio Capello will be hoping for the chance to prove that he can have reservations about perfection. England's match with Ukraine today may well be extremely hard, but it is quite possible that the visitors will win in Dnipropetrovsk before beating Belarus at Wembley next Wednesday. The squad would then have taken the full 30 points on offer in the group.

Capello is likely to be indifferent to any such achievement. The manager will appreciate that the correlation between qualifiers and the finals is shaky. Italy are the holders thanks to the shoot-out win over France three years ago, yet both countries kept a low profile on the approach to that tournament.

France dropped 10 points in the qualifiers and in the rest of the Uefa zone Ukraine alone had a poorer record among the group winners. Italy had little to brag about either, having let seven points slip away. Capello must appreciate that the finals in South Africa are a new context in which earlier assumptions must be abandoned.

He does not have any equivalent to the sort of swift upgrade accomplished by the France coach. Towards the end of the qualifiers for those 2006 finals, Raymond Domenech talked Lilian Thuram, Claude Makelele and Zinedine Zidane out of international retirement. Capello does not have such means available, but his appreciation for experience was apparent when he gave David Beckham his 100th cap and, thereafter, a relative security.

The veteran will presumably not be starting games in South Africa, but in his dotage there is a neatness and perception about the way he keeps possession. These are traits that may come to the fore if Capello has to bring someone on to help keep a match under control.

Such steps do not bring joy or excitement, but England's most obvious weakness of late has been a difficulty in subduing opponents for an entire match. Capello's clean sheets in his eight qualifiers have come against Andorra (twice) and Kazakhstan. The side will have to be far more resilient next summer against opponents of a high calibre.

It has been unsettling that Rio Ferdinand and John Terry have been the centre-back pairing in only six of the Italian's 18 international matches to date. Ferdinand, in particular, has been vulnerable. The Manchester United defender is reported to receive regular treatment from an osteopath for a back problem and Capello's main hope may be that he can be eased through the programme next summer.

Durability is the key since many ultimately respected sides at finals have been scorned before finding better form.England need a back four that can be counted on.

Matthew Upson is preferred when Ferdinand is absent, but Phil Jagielka has a versatility that would be useful in the hurly-burly of a tournament. He deserves consideration if he hits form after getting over his knee surgery. Alternatives at right-back are badly needed, although Capello seems to have satisfied himself that Glen Johnson can defend satisfactorily as well as overlap.

Capello must wish that there were genuine options in goal. Robert Green has played for his country without committing any howlers, but has not seemed commanding either. The 39-year-old David James, fit again, continues to have a claim to the England spot. Paul Robinson was also in this squad, although he has a hip problem and was replaced by Joe Hart.

It is comforting to point out that Dino Zoff took the World Cup with Italy at the age of 40. All the same, that is a well-known fact exactly because he was such a rarity. Capello would, at a minimum, like a persuasive candidate to view with James or Green, but Ben Foster's standing has declined steeply at United.

The England manager could still find encouragement at Old Trafford. Owen Hargreaves, missing since September 2008 with tendinitis, expects to return to action soon. Of course, he will have to show that he can function with full vigour. In principle, he could enhance the England midfield, while also being equipped to act as cover for other positions.

It sounds absurd to suggest that Capello can have any misgivings about the attack now that his team have scored a remarkable 31 goals in Group Six. Nonetheless, England need a broader repertoire because better teams will nullify them if so much continues to depend on the link between Emile Heskey and Rooney. Some coach or other will have a shrewd scheme to break the bond.

There are vacancies for any forward who demonstrates sharpness and Michael Owen can still not be ruled out entirely if he is ever in shape and form. As much as predators, though, Capello will seek footballers who can open up space. Theo Walcott has much yet to do after injury to confirm that he is developing into a mature professional who still has extreme speed and can deliver more than, say, Aaron Lennon.

Damage, of course, has to be done in a variety of manners and Capello is interested in James Milner. The wide midfielder is now in the party at the expense of his Aston Villa team-mate Ashley Young, presumably because his final ball is superior. England have their place at the finals, but that signals merely that Capello is in a new phase, with work to be done and, perhaps, changes to be made.